


To Be With You

by halocentury



Series: kyluxxoxo 19 [1]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: All the Fun Summer Activities, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Brendol and Maratelle make a short appearance, Camping, Dry Humping, M/M, Making Out, Mutual Pining, Non-Graphic Smut, Pining, Prompt Fic, Swimming
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-26
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-07-20 11:36:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19991512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halocentury/pseuds/halocentury
Summary: It's true that Hux prefers air conditioning and indoor plumbing to not having them, but more than the privileges of indoor living, he can't pass up the opportunity to go camping with Ben.He enjoys seeing Ben having fun. It's worth it to see him smiling.More importantly, he has Ben all to himself for four days.Hux will make do.Hux winds up having just as much fun. But only with / for Ben.





	To Be With You

**Author's Note:**

> Belated submission for Week 1 of kyluxxoxo. The theme is camp. I had the concept for this fic ready... a few years ago, wanted to write it this year and the theme was an absolute blessing. I went all out and filled out all the checks for this week's prompts: wild / tent / sleep / forest / dark / rations / bite / ghost / fire.

Brendol laughed in his face. All things considered it was the nicest thing he could’ve done. It was also a reasonable response. If Hux had been standing across from himself, listened to the words coming out of his mouth, he would’ve snorted too.

“You? You’re going camping?”

Maratelle didn’t have much to say. Not because they were eating; they were seated for dinner, she had her fork halfway to her mouth, but she watched her husband, waiting for the laughter to die away to his usual sneers. Perhaps she was waiting for the full conversation. It would be an entertaining one. 

Hux shrugged, glancing away from Maratelle, looking the opposite way to Brendol. “Ben asked me if I wanted to come. I warned him that I don’t know anything about camping but he insisted.”

“You hate the outdoors,” Brendol insisted, but switched tack when Hux shook his head. “You hate being outdoors in the summer. You’re too hot, you’re sweating, the bugs are biting you-”

“I can take bug-spray.” It was true, he preferred to be indoors with air-conditioning, not to mention plumbing, but it hadn’t taken much for Ben to sway him into going away for a long weekend. “We’re going to a campsite that he and have dad have gone to frequently. It’s going to be just the two of us but he knows the route. It’s on a lake so we can cool off in the water as often as we need to.”

“When will you be going up?” Maratelle asked after the patiently waiting dainty mouthful of food.

“Ben thought our best idea would be late morning or early afternoon on Thursday. Get ahead of outgoing traffic,” Hux explained, turning his attention to her. Her nod of approval was enough for him to decide he needed to convince her and not Brendol. “Ben will drive, he’s got his dad’s truck for the weekend. We’re going to pick up the food we need for the weekend tomorrow, get all the camping supplies into the truck when we get back from the grocery store-”

“Do you need to buy anything for yourself?” It took her a second to determine the right words, not accustomed to the concept of camping. “What do you need for sleep – oh, sleeping bag? Blankets?”

“Oh, I’ll be using his dad’s sleeping bag, they said that would be fine. They have everything on hand, camping pots and dishes and cups. Tent.” He was sure there was much more to bring along, which Ben would know where everything was stored in their basement. “Everything. I just need to bring clothes, bug-spray, swimsuit and towels – sunscreen.” He’d make sure to get a full list of personal belongings to pack tomorrow, although it would help if he checked their bag supply to figure out what would be the most durable for the outdoors. “And we would be back Monday night.” 

Maratelle smiled, setting her fork down. “It sounds like you’ve got everything planned.”

One convinced, one more to go. They both looked back in Brendol’s direction. He didn’t try to disguise his disbelief, taking a huge swallow of his food to give him one last warning. “You are going to hate it.”

Hux scooped rice onto his fork, sucking his bottom lip back to refrain himself from smirking. “I doubt it.”

The primary reason he wanted to go camping was because Ben already told him that it would be just the two of them. How could he not enjoy having Ben all to himself for four days? 

*

After two sleeps, a trip to the grocery store, and buying new containers of SPF 50 and bug-spray, Han’s old pick-up was making good time up the highway. The bed wasn’t too full but the cover had been installed to ensure nothing went tumbling onto the road behind them. 

He barely had enough time to break his stare when Ben shifted his gaze from the window towards him. With his left hand grasping the upper lip of the open window, hair tickling his cheeks and shoulders in the wind, and the rim of his sunglasses casting light around his face to make him glow, Hux had to remind himself to breathe. 

“You looking forward to this?” Ben asked, sounding surprisingly hesitant after all the enthusiasm of packing and shopping yesterday.

“Of course!” Hux shook his head, took a deep inhale to remind himself that breathing was a normal, vital thing, that he had mastered long ago. “You will have to show me how to set up the tent, get the fire going at meal times. I don’t want you doing all the work.”

“You’ll be a pro by the end of the weekend,” Ben assured him, grinning with renewed confidence.

“I hope to be.” Hux tilted his gaze back to Ben, half to admire him, half concerned. “But you would be a perfect teacher. How long have you and your dad gone camping for?”

“Oh… like, since I was four years old? It’s been a long time.” Tapping his fingers on the wheel, the only sound in the truck aside from their voices, Ben chuckled. “My mom was never one for camping, she came maybe… three times? I’ve camped with my dad, sometimes his friend Lando would come along. We would go camping twice a year, at least.”

“Have you always camped where we’re going to now?”

“We’ve been to a few different places, but this has always been my and dad’s favourite campsite. There’s a beach and great hiking trails. And if you choose a site that’s not too far away from the main camping-sites, outhouses.”

“Oh thank god,” Hux breathed, but not quietly enough for Ben to not hear him and laugh.

“So you do have options!” 

Hux nearly swatted him but rolled his eyes until he was looking at Ben sideways, giving him a half-hearted glare. “You’ve had fourteen years experience of roughing it in the woods. I haven’t. So pardon me if I do appreciate that I don’t have to bare my ass to woodland creatures in order to relieve myself.”

“The outhouses do get a lot of use so it won’t take long until they smell. And considering that this is supposed to be a nice hot weekend…” Ben shrugged the arm that wasn’t half-out the window. 

He didn’t need to say more. The implication was enough. “Well.” Biting the inside of his cheek, Hux glanced out his window, hoping his face wasn’t flushing too much. “One is easier than the other. But… what would you recommend in the case of the other?”

Their conversations veered from camping stories, of educational and inane varieties, to friends and school and the rest of the summer holidays. Hux tried to ignore the lump forming in his stomach, heavier as the upcoming school tried to push its way to the forefront of his mind. Ever since grade one Ben was normally at his side. By luck or design, the last chair that was available was at the desk beside the dark-haired boy. They didn’t always share classes when they hit high school but by that point they saw each other between classes, at lunch and all the times in between. 

By September they would be a state and time zone apart. 

A hand to his thigh roused him a little after Ben shifted his left hand to the wheel. “You didn’t answer my last question. Probably didn’t hear anything I said in the last couple of minutes.”

“I…” He didn’t usually parse his words around Ben, with the exception of the one-sided crush he was harbouring. “It’s too soon to be thinking about school. I was… I don’t want to think about it when it’s just the two of us, out camping. I’m looking forward to a good time and not… being reminded that in a month I won’t be in the same state as you.”

It was only half the story and for that alone he felt ridiculous, sappy for the emotions that he clung to, not revealing the full span of love that he had for his best friend. He only dared to glance over to Ben when he squeezed his leg to get his full attention.

“I’m glad that I’m not the only one feeling that way,” Ben admitted, low and wistful. The tone remained even when a smile tugged at one corner of his mouth. “I told my mom and dad last week that I wanted to go camping with you over the weekend. It was in part to get their help, to make sure no one else would try and get in on our camping plans.”

“One last weekend, just the two of us?”

“We still have the rest of July.”

“We do.” But, as Ben just implied, their friends were back for the holidays, at work and at play before another school year started. Some returning to high school, others going back to college or university. Free time was occupied by everyone, by threes, fours and even more. Hux couldn’t guarantee that he would have one on one time with Ben. “Minus the outhouses,” Hux added, trying to push the selfishness out of his mind with a sarcastic barb.

Another hour spent sharing silence and conversation and they finally saw the first sign for the camping site. Only two other vehicles occupied the gravel parking lot. While it would take more than one trip to get everything to a campsite they first pulled out their own personal bags and the tent, each carrying an end, Ben leading the way.

“Where do you usually like to set up?” Hux called up, happy that he wasn’t huffing out his question. They’d been walking the rough trail for twenty minutes but with the added weight he wasn’t suffering too much.

“I like to be relatively close to the lake. There are some sites that are right on the water, giving a nice view. Others you can walk two or three minutes to get to the lake. Or there are a few closer to the beach but those will get more foot traffic passing by,” Ben explained. 

Hux barely dodged a rock that Ben sidestepped, so familiar with the path. “Do you think we can get one by the water? There seemed to be only two vehicles out in the lot,” Hux asked.

“I know one that we can get to in…. twenty minutes. You good with that?”

Steeling himself, getting a better grip on the tent case strap, he pitched his voice. “Of course!”

His breath was starting to get thready by the time Ben stopped, veering them carefully towards a less defined trail, narrow between two threes. Wide enough for people to get through, even if it involved shuffling without instructions to prevent banging the tent against the trees on the other side of the trail or the trees they were passing. It took less than two minutes for Ben to come to another halt, in a modest sized clearing. Not as big as some of the sites they had already passed but apparently good enough, based on the firepit that sat closer to the far end. 

Surrounded by trees they were nestled in from all sides: private but for a gap that showed a glimpse of the lake, water lapping at the flat rocks that looked wide enough space for two or three people to sit.

Hux looked away from the lake, trying not to smile. “This looks perfect.”

“My dad saw the gap between the trees, that rock space, when we rented a canoe one time,” Ben explained, having seen where he had been looking. “Later he searched for this area by foot, from the trail. He made the firepit himself and we claimed this as our campsite several hours later.” 

“I’m surprised no one set it up as a proper camping site. It’s an ideal location.”

“This is a designated camping area, this whole lake and the surrounding trails and forest. And a lot of people do choose designated camping areas to set up tents and everything. But it’s… probably a fifty-fifty combination. Half of the locations are pre-chosen, proper camping sites. Then there are the unofficial sites, like this one.” Motioning with his hand that carried the tent, a one-two bounce, Ben lowered his end, Hux following. Dropping his bag Ben stretched his arms up, angling them back with a satisfied sigh. “We can set up the tent when we get back with our food and the rest of our supplies.”

A little over an hour later the tent was up, the rest of their supplies and bags scattered in order to ensure they had space for the tent and a good spot to secure it too. The stakes holding the corners down they opened the tent long enough to toss their personal bags and the sleeping gear inside. 

Everything else…

Hux eyed the containers that he knew were the cooking supplies. They had a bar of dish soap for when they needed to wash anything and the pots and cooking utensils were separate from the tin bowls and eating utensils. They would probably be stored in the tent after they were dried. He was fairly sure that wouldn’t be the case with storing the food. “Where will be keeping the food when we’re not cooking?”

“We need to make sure it’s away from the tent, but also keep the cold stuff routinely cold. Luckily there are ice stations along the trail so we can keep the temperature to what we need it at.” Both cases, dry and cold, had latches and locks that wouldn’t be out of place on a safe. “And these are both animal safe, we’ve had them for five years and never had any problems.”

“Sounds good.” After lugging their belongings in two separate trips, along the trail for a fair distance, the warmth of the day had trickled into sweat dipping down past his nape. “Once we get that taken care of, is there anything else we need to do with our campsite? What do you want to do?”

Understandably Ben was ready to take the rest of the afternoon easy. The traffic hadn’t been horrendous but after seated in the car and driving for close to three hours Ben was ready to stretch out and relax. He hadn’t hesitate to sprawl out on the ground but Hux sat down carefully beside him, making sure there were no sticks or stones around to jab into the back of his knees. 

They half-dozed, chatting slowly for close to an hour. Ben’s stomach had been rumbling for a while but when a loud grumble that Hux swore rustled his shirt Hux grinned and started to get up. “Maybe we could do an early dinner?”

“Well, we could do one hot dog now, a couple more a little later,” Ben agreed, patting his stomach as if he could placate his hunger. “It’s appetizer hour.”

“Help me out with starting a fire and I’ll have your appetizer ready for you.”

Getting the fire up wasn’t too difficult with gathered tinder and shaping them appropriately. Hux got a full rundown of all the cooking supplies that Han and Ben usually brought along, not too different from what a kitchen would usually be supplied with, just smaller and intended for basic, easy camping fare. There was a grill shaped like an elevated oven-rack shelf, balanced on four sturdy legs. Hot dog buns warmed on the edges while the hot dogs cooked in the centre. 

“Have you ever had hotdogs at your place?” Ben asked, licking ketchup away from his upper lip.

Hux snorted and shook his head. “Never. The first hotdog I tried was when your dad offered to buy me one when he took me to the baseball game that you invited me along to.”

Ben looked vaguely horrified. “That… that was only three years ago.”

“But it was a good hotdog,” Hux reassured him, only to pause and cock his head. “Not as good as these ones.”

Mollified, and proud based on the smile that quickly lit up his face, Ben attacked his hotdog with more vigour. “You may not agree with all the food we brought along, but camp food for me has always been the easy stuff.”

Ben regaled him with more camping stories, mostly along the vein of successful and failed meals, but it kept them entertained for the night, past appetizer hour and dinner through to tent time. Ben tried to not laugh while coaching him on last minute techniques for non-outhouse toileting needs. Washed up and teeth brushed he scrambled into the tent, shucking off his runners and positioning them at the opposite end of the tent, the head of their sleeping bags away from their packed bags and cleaned kitchen supplies. They didn’t bring an air mattress, but with the ground sheet and an old but thick blanket it was cushioned just enough that he fell asleep in minutes.

The next morning, with a more substantial breakfast than Hux was accustomed to, Ben persuaded him to venture down to the main beach where rentals were available. If they got there early enough they should be able to grab a canoe. It meant changing out of the shorts they wore, swapping them for swim shorts. They were almost about to step on the trail but Hux darted back for his container of sunscreen and a floppy white hat.

“It’s a Tilley hat!” he argued when Ben laughed, tugging at the brim after he set on his head. “I’m going to need it when we’re out on the lake.”

One last chuckle escaped Ben’s lips. “It’s just not what I expected.” 

“I don’t want to get heatstroke.” Granted it wasn’t his normal choice of fashion but he needed to take measures to make sure he didn’t burn. “An uncle of Maratelle’s gave it to me when we went to a wedding in her family a few years back. Never knew how buggy or hot it would be in Ontario in the middle of the summer.”

“Obviously. You wouldn’t choose it for yourself.”

“Not normally.” Hux ran his fingers over the front of the wide brim. He hadn’t had any reason to wear it again until now. It was a nice reminder that not all his relatives were jerks or creeps to varying degrees. And that presents could be given at any time of the year and not just birthdays or Christmas. 

Out on the lake, lifejackets zipped up, they paddled, or Ben did, until Hux got the hang of it. They didn’t rush it, no destination in mind, until they were away from the beach, floating in the middle of the lake, the paddles tucked inside as they dipped their fingers into the water. Ben had unzipped his lifejacket, sprawled out in the limited space of the stern.

Having carefully turned around until he was facing Ben, taking drops of sunscreen to dab and massage into his face, Hux settled back, watching a lazy bead of sweat trickle down the centre of Ben’s chest. Realising they had left water bottles back at their camp site it was a tempting substitute, wanting to chase that drop with his own tongue, push Ben’s shorts down to explore further. Licking his lips instead Hux shuffled ungainly. Tilted his head up to the cloudless sky, trying to find a distraction. “It’s nice out here. Not loud or crowded like the beach would be now.”

“No interruptions.”

His stomach curling for want of water, or so Hux tried to convince himself, he lowered his gaze. Ben’s gaze was at half-mast. Realising that Ben was probably sleeping and didn’t want to be disturbed Hux bit his lip, about to go silent, but his cheeks were looking a bit too rosy. “I think you’re getting a bit of a burn on your face. Do you want some sunscreen?”

“No, I’m good.”

Moving slowly to not rock the canoe, Hux shuffled closer. “Well, just to be on the safe side-” He took off his hat, to which Ben started to grin, changed to protest when it was placed on his head. “Just to make sure you don’t get too much sun.”

“What about you?” Ben asked, angling the brim up so he could look up properly to him.

Tucking Ben’s hair to not stick out wildly under the hat, relishing how warm and soft it was, Hux shook his head softly. “I just put on some more sunscreen.”

“You couldn’t have gotten it on everywhere.” The nudge Ben gave to his shoulder made his stomach flip around more. Moving forward had been easy but to twist around in the middle of the lake might result in them both tipping into the water. Holding his breath for those nerve-wracking seconds he relaxed once his back was to Ben. 

His breath hitched for different reasons when the warm liquid of his sunscreen dipped along his neck, swept close to his hair line and up along to the backs of his ears. Strong fingers massaged into his skin, both hands working in tandem. 

Swallowing tightly, imagining the feel of hands pushing down on his neck as they laid together, Hux squeezed his eyes shut, repeated a mantra to his biology to behave in the confines of the canoe.

He calmed down a fraction when Ben rubbed the excess sunscreen on his upper arms. “That should be good,” Ben murmured.

“Until I figure out how to get back to the front of the canoe,” Hux commented, already tentatively moving on his knees back to his original spot. He’d worry about turning around when he got back there. 

“You’re doing fine.”

The sun rising higher into the sky, past midday, made the heat build up over the lake. Calming as it was to drift and bob in the water, paddling to move the canoe when it shifted too close to the shoreline, Hux couldn’t ignore the feel of sweat fighting to overcome sunscreen. “I think I need to swim before I melt out here. And to be honest, I don’t think I would be able to push myself back into the canoe after swimming out here.”

“Yeah, that is tricky to do.” After time Ben had borrowed his sunscreen, covering his arms and chest, but even with the hat Ben was looking overheated too. “It’s not too deep by the campsite, we can swim there if you want to avoid the beache.”

“I’d prefer that.” It took a minute to persuade his arms to cooperate, the heat adding to the lazy feel that turned his limbs into jelly. Picking up his paddle was easy, remembering how to row not so much. 

At least with swimming he didn’t need Ben calling out instructions. They got back to the shore, more easily than when Hux first tried paddling their canoe out. There were definitely more people at the beach now, which made walking the canoe back to the rental stand a bit of a challenge, dodging swimmers and sunbathers and a volleyball game. 

The trail was expectedly quiet, and they scrambled back to the site for several reasons. Sooner to get back in the water but also to grab their water bottles and to make a couple of sandwiches. 

Hux ate carefully, seated on the flat rocks so he could dip his feet into the water. Through the overhead branches the sun dappled onto his hair, still missing his hat. Ben had yet to return it but Hux wasn’t about to fight to get it back.

Successful in not getting crumbs into the lake, he shifted his gaze back to Ben, surprised that he hadn’t joined him on the rocks. “Are you coming in?” 

“Just cleaning up first.” He had to pitch his voice a little, kneeling in front of one of the cases of their food. He locked it up before coming over. No longer encumbered by a lifejacket, the jackets returned with the canoe and paddles, it was easy for them to fit side by side, sharing the rock. “Ready?”

Hux nodded, plucking the hat off of Ben’s head. There was no breeze, on the lake or through the trees around them, which encouraged him to leave the hat on the rock, closer to the grass than the lake. He couldn’t imagine it would take long to dry if it fell in the water but he decided to play it safe. “Do I need to get you a hat of your own?”

“Hardly.” Bumping Hux, from hip to hip, Ben rose and waded out, taking a step in the lake. Three steps brought the water up to his knees. A few strides later and Ben was up to his waist. “You know how to tread water, right? You’ll be above your head in a few more steps.”

“Of course I do!” Though he didn’t swim frequently he was a good swimmer, more accustomed to pools and the strong chemicals that came with them. Wading after Ben, doing a surface dive out past the water when he was up to his chest, he grinned and splashed water to Ben. “I know what I’m doing.”

Swimming turned out to be more splashing one another, hands and legs trying to get the bigger splash power. Stopping on account of Ben needing a snack, trail mix and fruit shared, they were back in the water, swimming and wheedling each other.

“Gotten any bites yet?” Ben asked, floating on his back.

“Fish won’t be biting at us.” Hux rolled his eyes, swimming and stretching his arms, moving closer to Ben. “They’re either scared of us, avoiding us, or are deep enough in the water to not be bothered by us.”

“But the turtles aren’t.”

“What?” He stopped, eyes wide, legs nearly stilling. “There are turtles?”

“Snapping turtles.” Ben nodded, straightening from floating on his back to upright. “They’re fearless. If they feel threatened they will bite swimmers.”

Hux didn’t think. Panicked at what his toes would look like in the water, to the vision of a disgruntled turtle. Snapping turtle. Stubby white things looking like a good thing to snack on. With a yelp he splashed his arms forward, looking to grab onto Ben.

Ben’s features broke from the seriousness, eyes a light. He squirmed out of Hux’s reach, pushing his shoulders under the water, Hux’s protest resulting in a gurgle and a large swallow of lake water.

“You jerk!” Hux huffed when Ben laughed, grabbing hold of Ben when he tried to swim away. It was another bout of pushing, splashing, dunking. Indignancy turned to revenge quickly forgotten, humour building up between the two of them. Hux hadn’t the time to think of how their hands slipped and groped for purchase anywhere they could grab. 

Ben managed to get his hands around his thighs, Hux trying to circle his legs around Ben’s hips. Ben heaved and threw Hux back, Hux landing harmlessly, staring up to the sky, a few late afternoon clouds starting to drift by. 

A breeze. Startling him enough to clamour back to the shore, just where his hat was travelling closer to the edge of the rock, towards the lake. 

Plopping down on the edge of the rock, feet still in the water, he closed his eyes, not realising how breathless he was from their play.

“You okay?”

Ben’s warm presence was back at his side. Opening his eyes after a few seconds he regarded him, sighing and rolling his eyes fondly. “You wear me out,” Hux assured him, no sting to his words.

They drip-dried on the rocks, kicking their feet idly as they watched the sun drift towards the treeline on the opposite side of the lake. Only when their snack was forgotten by stomachs craving more food did they grab their towels. Hux rummaged for the lightweight hoodie he brought for the trip while Ben grabbed his closest tee.

“You’re going to get hot again,” Ben warned when the fire they built up was substantial enough to cook.

“It’ll protect my arms from the bugs,” Hux reasoned, grabbing the pots they needed. Though he didn’t make a habit of cooking at home, alone or with Maratelle, it didn’t take long for him and Ben to develop a system, working together to fill the pots, cook and serve them out onto the plates.

He would’ve been content to laze about after eating, watching the flames dance in the pit, higher and unburdened with cooking for them. It was a relaxing sight, and warmed his legs. Half-leaning against Ben, or perhaps Ben leaning against him, he was content to let the dance of flames send him into a quiet, almost meditative state.

He must’ve fallen asleep at some point. The change in scenery, from the firepit to staring up at the arched ceiling of the tent, made him realise that Ben had moved him, tucked him into his sleeping bag. Pulling the top of the sleeping bag wide he found himself free of his shoes and socks and also shirtless. 

Not wanting to rustle around too long to undress, wary of waking up Ben, he wiggled around within his sleeping bag, tossing his shorts over to where he saw the rest of his clothes.

Woke up again, morning as it turned out to be, when his subconscious mind became aware that possibly someone was watching him. Already on his side he only needed to open his eyes to see Ben also awake, fingers wiggling closer to him. “Did I wake you up?” Ben asked.

“Pretty sure you didn’t.” Rubbing his face with his hand, and making the mistake of running his tongue over his teeth, he realised his mouth felt the repercussions of not brushing his teeth. “You should’ve woken me up last night. My mouth feels rotten.”

Ben smirked, curled his fingers back to his own head, tucking them under his ear. “You got freckles on your nose. Looks like you didn’t use enough sunscreen yesterday.”

Worried that he had an accompanying burn he rubbed his nose next. “Did I burn it?”

“Nope, just the freckles.” Dark hair falling across his forehead, sweeping to the ground, Ben pursed his lips. “You want to sleep more? Or should I get breakfast out?”

“I’ve slept long enough. Food sounds good,” Hux agreed. Yet only wearing his underwear, he did need to dress first. Accustomed to wearing his sleeping clothes, which usually consisted of sleep shorts and a tee shirt, he wasn’t quite ready to shuffle out of the sleeping bag. 

Ben didn’t hesitate, pushing back his sleeping bag, sitting up and crawling over to gather clothes.

After oatmeal and juice Hux was finally alert, not struggling to stay awake. Stomach full and mouth fresh-feeling Hux breathed in deeply, the ache in his arms from swimming and rowing the previous day not unwelcome. 

“Would you like to do a bit of hiking?” Ben asked, glancing over to him from one food bin. Hux was at the other one, adding ice to keep their food cool. “There are a few easy trails. We should bring our water bottles though, they do a fair bit of winding.”

“Should I bring my phone along, for taking photos?” He hadn’t thought of it until they were in the middle of the lake yesterday, but he would’ve loved to have taken a photo of Ben in the canoe, half-asleep and wearing his hat. “Are there good places to take photos? For the scenery?”

“There a couple of good spots, I’ll take you to them.”

At their first destination, Hux had decided these spots were not along the easy trails that Ben first mentioned. He wasn’t about to protest, despite how winded he wound up being. There had been a significant incline, resulting him in trailing behind. That it meant he got to see Ben’s calve muscles work against the hill, flexion in his glutes, and admire Ben’s hair sticking to his sweat-damp shirt, adorned by his hat yet again, the scenery was worth the labour.

Then they came to the stream. Out in the middle of the wilderness, forest everywhere, the foot bridge carrying over the low-running water was a surprise but worth taking the photo, from the bank and from standing on the bridge. 

“The water is not that deep, why would anyone build a bridge?” Hux wondered aloud. 

“There are a lot of big rocks in the stream, and it is fairly wide. If you had to carry over a load of…. Anything, food or parcels, by cart, it would be easier to have a bridge.”

“I suppose so.” Pocketing his phone he followed Ben as they continued across the stream, then walked alongside the bank, further away from the lake. The trees lined each side of the stream, taller and more thickly culminated than the campgrounds. The camp grounds were designed for camp sites and pathways, space was needed. This was not planned out as a path but Ben was familiar with it, the unmarked paths.

The stream didn’t change much but with the gradual continuation of an incline, there were dips in the stream. Nothing that qualified as a waterfall but short cascades where the rocks were visible where the water splashed down to the next level. 

“Does this come from a waterfall? Or a pond?” Hux asked, picking his way carefully around an outcropping of bushes.

Ben didn’t reply, instead bringing his finger to his lips.

Hux didn’t ask more questions, making an effort to tread quietly like Ben. When they came to a pond, Ben stretched his arm back to stop him entirely.

Hux glanced from Ben’s hand on his chest up, surprise on his face. The pond itself wasn’t remarkable. There were probably a few streams that fed into the lake which meant there had to be at least one pond in the area. From what Ben had told him the campgrounds had its share of foraging raccoons trying to prank novice campers who didn’t know how to store their food properly. He hadn’t stopped to think of what animals were around with the exception of said racoons and local birds and pesky insects.

Yet on the other side of the pond, unaware of them hiding amongst the trees, two deer were drinking, heads bowed close to the water. Slowly pulling his phone out of his pocket, gently easing the sound to muted, he tried to get a clear view through the camera, zooming in to the unbeknownst animals.

Took a couple of photos before putting his phone away. “Wow,” he murmured, watching the smaller deer, probably the kid to the mama deer, nuzzle up against her. “Have you seen other animals out here?”

“I’ve only ever seen deer or rabbits out here. Sometimes a fox or two,” Ben whispered. Neither dared to move to get a better view, not wanting to give reason for the deer to run away. Bound away, Hux’s mind silently amended. 

“There aren’t any… bears, are there?” 

“Not at this campsite.” Hux hadn’t realised his chest had been tight until he breathed out in relief. Ben continued, shifting closer to him. “This area is forest and fields. No caves for bears to claim for themselves.”

“That’s reassuring,” Hux murmured.

They talked quietly but mostly watched. After enjoying their drinks, however long it was Hux didn’t pay attention, the deer wandered back into the foliage. A hand to his shoulder nudged Hux towards the pond, circling past the point where the animals had been. “We can head back to the campsite on a different trail, so we can see other things.”

After taking a sip of his water, he hadn’t dared to twist off the lid in case he made any noises to startle the deer, Hux nodded. “I’m going to swim after this though,” he warned, sweat trickling down his spine.

“So do I.” Casting a grin back Ben led the way to the new trail.

On their way back, without having to cross any additional streams, taking a longer route despite the fact that it was going down the hill they had been climbing, Hux managed to get a few more photos before they returned to the main trail, taking it back to their campsite. 

They spent the afternoon swimming, lazing on the rocks, and then going back in the lake when they started getting too hot again. Having eaten a fairly big lunch it wasn’t until after sunset that they started getting hungry again.

Hair drying as they cooked dinner, and eventually settling back to eat their homestyle mac and cheese, Ben glanced over to him, sauce stained lips quirked up in a smile. “Seeing as you are new to the camping thing, I’m going to teach you the best thing about camping.”

As tempting as it was to kiss Ben’s lips clean Hux blinked, hoping that his cheeks were a rosy glow due to the heat of the fire. “Something better than mac and cheese and hot dogs?”

“You are going to learn how to make s’mores,” Ben announced, righting his head proudly.

“I haven’t even finished my dinner,” Hux argued, laughing under his breath.

“Neither have I, but after, we will. They’re easy to make, and I’ve already gotten the ingredients out…” 

Hux didn’t bother looking, sure that Ben had hidden them out of sight but within reach. “What’s in them?”

“I’m not going to ruin the surprise!” 

Ben finished before him, probably in enthusiasm for his next lesson. Hux was tempted to take longer just to annoy him but eyed the box of crackers when it was repositioned between them before the fire. Marshmallows and chocolate followed, behind the box to protect them from the heat. 

“What do we need crackers for?” Hux asked when he finished his last bite of creamy pasta.

“The box says crackers, but they’re graham crackers. They’re sweet, like a cookie, but shaped like a cracker.” Ben opened the box, showing off one of the crackers, which he split in half along the line. “This is mine, I’m not doing your work. Grab your own cracker.”

Biting his lip, refraining from being a stubborn student, Hux dug into the box. “Yes sir.”

Almost smirking to one another Ben grabbed the package of chocolate. “Now the chocolate. We want enough pieces to cover the cracker which...” With the bar unwrapped he eyeballed the chocolate perforations to the cracker on his previously used plate. “Will be two pieces of chocolate. So we position the chocolate on the cracker.” Ben placed it on his cracker, Hux still watching, cracker between his fingers. “Next, I already took the preparation of getting sticks to roast our marshmallows. We will do our marshmallows and then put it on the chocolate and then place the free cracker on top so we have a sandwich. Oh, wait!” Ben had been in the process of tearing the bag of marshmallows open but stopped. It was luck that the bag didn’t split entirely, or fly out of his hands. “How do you like your marshmallow?”

“Um…” Hux eyed the bag, pretty sure he was missing something with the last half of rushed instructions. “White?”

“They won’t be white for long, once you roast-” Ben paused again, putting the bag in his lap. It took several seconds for understanding to cross his features. “Right, you’ve not done s’mores before so you probably haven’t roasted marshmallows.”

Hux shook his head, unoffended. “Can’t say I have.”

“To make the s’mores we roast the marshmallows. It will help to melt the chocolate and that will glue everything together, with the marshmallow, to make a sandwich with the crackers. Some people like their marshmallows lightly toasted. Some burn them until they catch on fire. I prefer mine golden.” A smile tugged at Ben’s lips, watching Hux while explaining the process. With a blink and a quick twist of his chin down, he opened the bag. “So we got two sticks for roasting. You have one and I have one. We stick a marshmallow on each.” 

Hux took a marshmallow after Ben, following Ben’s movements to make sure it was secure on his stick. “So I just need to put it in the fire-?”

“Finish your cracker first, and the chocolate.” Ben’s coached him gently, grabbing a hold of the stick before it could fall into the dirt, marshmallow included. “You don’t want to be juggling a hot marshmallow, or balancing your stick, when you’re trying to put everything together. So crack the cracker in half and get the chocolate on there. You don’t need the chocolate to be broken perfectly but don’t break the cracker. Things will get messy quickly.” 

He would’ve preferred to clean his plate before putting his dessert on it but he followed Ben’s instructions, cracker getting somewhat smeared with the cheese sauce. “Alright, this might not be to correct taste standards, but I’ve done it now.”

“Now your stick.” Handing it back to Hux Ben stuck his marshmallow high over the flames. “Don’t stick it straight in. It will burn too fast and possibly melt. If you want to burn it just leave it in longer. Make sure to turn your stick so your marshmallow gets done on all sides.”

It all made proper sense, and it was something he was familiar with after the dinner with their hot dogs. He kept his gaze on his marshmallow, unsure how he would want his done. He’d start with golden colour and if that wasn’t good enough, adjust for darker or lighter. “This is pretty easy.”

“Once you know how to do it,” Ben agreed, twisting his stick.

“I had a good instructor.” 

Ben shook his head, huffing. “Flatterer.”

Hux kept an eye on his marshmallow, twisting it when he noticed one section of it was getting darker, gradually working up to a dark yellow, almost gold. Ben’s marshmallow was ready before his, already squeezed together between chocolate and cracker, but stopped when Hux pulled his stick out from above the fire. “So keep the marshmallow on the stick, and lay it on top of the chocolate. Use the free cracker to wiggle the marshmallow free. Smush it together, but let it sit for a minute or so, so it can all melt.” 

He could follow instructions but between Ben helping him with his stick, marshmallow smeared on Hux’s fingers, not too badly to burn his skin but to make a fair amount of mess. “I would clean up but I imagine my hands may will get dirtier.”

“Lick it off.” 

Ben said it so quickly that Hux looked up, a little surprised. He was holding his finger up to not smear it on his clothes but Ben was looking at his finger intently. Hux almost wanted to say Ben was transfixed. “I guess I could do that… but I better make sure not to use the same hand for grabbing more food until I wash my hands.” 

Ben hesitated, lips parted, before nodding. “Yeah. Always so clean and proper.”

Hux was about to reply, finger in his mouth, when his mind shot to the look from seconds ago. He pulled back with an audible pop, eyes wide. Finger clean, marshmallow sticking to his teeth. 

“Want to see how it tastes?” 

Hux was pretty sure Ben was talking about s’mores but his brain was too fixated elsewhere, and a low moan thudded in his ears alongside his blood.

Oh God yes.

When they finally fell asleep, hands clean and teeth brushed, Hux had been able to block the marshmallow incident from his mind. That his subconscious provided him with dreams where Ben had marshmallow drippings sticking to his bottom lip was unfair and yet wonderfully pleasant. Starting to wake up, rolling his hips with the vision of white lipped Ben looking up to him, clinging resolutely in his mind, Hux froze when he couldn’t move forward, not with the arm draped around his waist.

Nor could he move back with Ben flush against him. 

Visions and memories had blood curling low and hot, causing a pressing problem in his shorts. Holding his breath, light-headed yet hopeful for Ben’s turn in nocturnal habits, he schooled himself to relax, shifting minutely. 

Hot air tickled the hair at his nape, followed by a cough. Ben’s arm tensed over him before pulling back, fingers pulling shyly away. 

“Is it possible to get drunk on marshmallows?” Ben mumbled, ducking his head onto Hux’s shoulder.

Knowing that it couldn’t be a comfortable angle Hux rolled onto his back, glancing over to Ben as he half sat up. “Last I checked, no. But maybe a sugar high, from the marshmallows and chocolates.”

“Ahh, this might be the sugar crash.” Collapsing back onto his own side, Ben pillowed his face with his head. “Anything you want to do today?”

“What do you and your dad do?” Hux turned his head to regard the bleary face that peered out from under the mess of black hair. “Have you ever walked around the lake?”

“Yeah, it takes a few hours. But basically we do a lot of canoeing and swimming and hiking. Other campsites offer different things. Some do fishing but this park doesn’t allow it,” Ben explained.

Hoping to get a proper opportunity to get a photo of Ben out on the lake with his hat, Hux knew what one of the things he wanted to do was. He could only hope that Ben would claim his hat for himself again. “So can we canoe again? And I’m always ready for swimming.”

“It’s too bad this is one of the smaller lakes. Some lakes you can keep canoeing on for a good long time,” Ben commented, scooting out of his sleeping bag to grab his swim shorts. Hux looked away out of habit when Ben began changing clothes, but this time as a necessity. His erection was nearly down but he didn’t want to tempt it. 

“I’m bringing our water bottles this time,” Hux added once Ben had his shirt on. 

“Yeah, we definitely needed them the other day.” Pulling the pieces of hair that were long enough to reach under his shirt free, Ben knee stepped over Hux to the door flap. “We could canoe around the lake. There are a few neat things to see.”

Ben’s shirt was a means to get from their site to the beach. Only a few people were out mid-morning, most in the process of waking up or having breakfast. Not that Hux was planning on preventing anyone from checking out Ben, but on the lake, the shirt was in the bottom of the canoe, the lifejacket zipped back up. With no rush Ben started their course, taking them by water back in the direction of their campsite and further. 

Hux was still paddling when he felt the drag of resistance. He looked down the water, clear and a vibrant blue thanks to the cloudless sky, expecting to find the cause of their problem but Ben spoke up. “The water is pretty deep here but up ahead it gets shallower. There’s a point. A point of land. It’s too narrow to camp there, not to mention it’s really rocky, but it’s nice to see.”

“Can we walk along there?” Hux asked, shifting his attention forward. Sure enough the point was in sight, much closer than he expected. 

“We could, but there’s nothing really special to see. But since you have your camera, the sun is at a pretty good angle to it right now.”

Ben was right, with the sun rising above the treeline the sun was just brushing over the right most point. Grabbing his phone, sealed in a Ziploc bag, he quickly took a photo. “That does look perfect.”

Their canoe drifting on the lazy current of the lake, not paddling to not disturb the photo, Ben had dipped his paddle back into the water. He was pulling away from their forward crest and roll, steering right, but Hux whispered harshly. “Wait!” Narrowing his gaze, trying to look properly at the rocks, he leaned forward helplessly. Took his camera back in hand, zooming in hopes to get a better glimpse. “I think I see something moving. On the rocks.” Sitting up straight, glancing back to Ben with wide eyes, he spoke a little louder. “Do you think it could be a turtle? Can we get a bit closer?”

“It’s probably protecting a nest of eggs, so we wouldn’t be able to get too close,” Ben explained, only to shrug. “If it is a turtle at all.”

“I’ve got zoom,” Hux explained. Paddling slowly to minimize noise and splash they returned course to the point, Hux beginning to lean forward again. Ben was right, he wasn’t about to climb out of the canoe, but the more he looked he did see something that looked too large to be rocks. Every once in a while he thought he saw something shift upwards. In another minute he picked up his phone, zooming in. They were far out enough to not startle, but close enough to make out some of the details, ridges of a shell, body lowered into a groove dug into the earth amongst the rocks. “It is a turtle…” Hux murmured. Knowing better to lean too far forward, already pushing the limits of the bow and his own balance, Hux zoomed in a tiny bit more, refocussed and took a couple of photos.

“Are you now a part of National Geographic?” Ben retorted from the back. 

Setting his phone down under his bench, grabbing his paddle, Hux snorted. “I’m a deprived suburbanite. I get excited when I see the wilderness of the backwoods of Michigan.” 

“I thought it was depraved.”

Hux almost cast a coy look over his shoulder. Steeling his shoulders, he pitched his voice low. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Most of their time out on the lake was spent bantering, with a few stops to take photos, Hux taking random photos as well as places Ben showed to him. Pausing to reapply sunscreen, canoeing more, it was several hours well spent. Concluded with a discreet photo of Ben, lifejacket midway down his back as he took it off, skin a perfect tan, golden with the accent of black hair and borrowed white hat.

Ben was already pulling his shirt on, for which Hux was grateful, a couple of teenaged girls eyeing him from where they were lying on their towels. Hux affected a casual stroll up to Kylo, leaning half against him to keep them from overhearing. “Can we grab lunch when we get back?”

“Yeah, I’m famished.” 

A couple of the campsites still had families occupied in them, but not for lazing around or doing lunch. Hux didn’t watch for too long, not when he was following Ben, but they seemed to be playing games, or getting ready to go off to play games. “Is there another beach area, or sports area?” 

“There are a couple of clearings, not overly big, within a short walking distance. They’re available for spots or picnics. You just need to claim a spot as soon as possible if you’re planning on playing something.” Ben glanced to him, the question clear. “You have something in mind?”

“Well, I’m no good at sports, but did you bring any games? I know you already said you swim and canoe a lot with your dad,” Hux mentioned. Not that he needed to do anything specific with Ben. The canoeing and swimming was fun, but he would’ve been just as happy keeping him company regardless what they were doing. 

“My dad was really good at telling ghost stories. He would tell them when we sat around the fire at night.” Ben fidgeted with the hat, chewing on his lip. “We used to play more games when I was younger, and we still have them. I just didn’t think of packing them.”

“I’d have to be a listener. I don’t know any ghost stories.” Starting into their clearing, Hux grabbed one of their food containers, significantly lighter than what it had been Thursday afternoon. Ben had clearly learned from a master of camping, knowing how to ration out their supplies. After tomorrow morning they would have a few leftovers to scrape together if they wanted a lunch. “I sound boring.” Sighing he worked the latches open once they were in the eating area by the firepit. 

“Camping with you has been far from boring.” Ben sat down beside him, the second container he brought over already open. “It doesn’t have to be spent doing something every single minute. I know you brought a book along, you can spend the afternoon reading it.”

“I had thought of it but… I really do like swimming in the lake. I don’t have to worry about pool smells out here.” Elbowing Ben in the bicep he shot him a smirk. “And I’m pretty sure, despite what you told me, I don’t need to worry about any snapping turtles attacking me.”

“As long as you don’t get close to their nests.”

“As long as I don’t get close their nests, which I definitely won’t.” Pulling out eight slices of bread, feeling just as hungry as Ben was, he waited for Ben to retrieve all the sandwiching supplies from the cold food container. “I don’t need my book to enjoy myself. I’ve got you.”

He hadn’t planned those last three words, but they escaped unbidden. It was the truth, heavy in his heart, but sounded lighthearted between them.

Ben hesitated, sealed bag of ham in hand, before managing a half-smile. He looked as caught off-guard as Hux felt but there were no teasing words. In fact his face looked kind, flattered, and somewhat pink that had nothing to do with the sun. 

“You… are my best friend,” Ben added, voice a little hoarse. “I could say the same thing about you. I don’t think you’d agree to go camping with just anyone.”

Hux couldn’t help but laugh. “Damn right.”

After his sandwiches, and the effects of the sun, hot enough even with the trees overhead sheltering him, Hux managed to doze off a little. It helped that Ben hadn’t shuffled too far away, his presence settling into his mind and body, a comfort that had him relaxing in no time. It took Ben squeezing his shoulder to wake him up. “Do you want to go for a swim, or do you want to keep resting?”

“This is probably our last day to swim in the lake, so I definitely want to swim.” Rolling his shoulders back and rubbing his nape, he felt vaguely more awake. The cold water would wake him up fully. With his swim shorts on all he needed to do was put on more sunscreen before hitting the water. Between his and Ben’s watchful eye he had yet to burn even though he had developed quite the array of freckles on his face, shoulders and arms.

Ben had already shucked off his shirt, not that Hux needed the reminder of how well his skin had tanned. A light sandy colour, just a hint darker along his arms. He was standing by the edge of the rocks, his towel hanging from the tree branch they had decided the first day was the perfect drying location.

“Alright.” Hand shifting to his cheek, muffling his yawn into something resembling a growl, Hux stood up. Pulled off his shirt before following Ben over. 

Hours later, after swimming, drying out in the sun, pushing at each other until they more or less splashed and half-stumbled back into the water for some tousling and half-hearted attempts at swimming, they finally dragged themselves out of the water. The nightly attack of bugs had the first swarm invading. They clamoured into better clothes, Hux pulling on his sweater without bothering to reach for a shirt first. Dinner was easy, reheating what was left of the macaroni and feasting on what remained on the s’mores supplies.

It wasn’t too dark by the fire, making it easy to see and chat over food. 

“As you already know, I wouldn’t go camping with just anyone. Only you. And my dad would be mocking me if he could hear me but… I wish we could stay longer,” Hux declared, licking chocolate off his fingers.

Ben was still roasting his marshmallow over the fire. “Have I converted you into actually enjoying camping?” 

“I would only go camping with you, but I have enjoyed it. And I really would like to try a different place, next time.” Fingers clean, Hux darted his gaze to Ben, hoping that he would agree. 

“Next time.” Ben was too busy watching Hux that his marshmallow started smoking, a corner catching on fire before Hux could yank it back. Hux was blowing on it, Ben blinking than smiling. “Yeah, definitely. Again this summer or next year?”

“Whatever works with you.” Sooner would be ideal, if it worked with their schedules. They should be able to plan it without their friends inviting themselves along. 

If they couldn’t do it this summer, the next time they’d see each other might not be until Thanksgiving..

“Yeah, that would be great.” Luckily Ben’s marshmallow wasn’t too badly burned. Squeezing and sliding it off between crackers and chocolate, Ben held onto the crackers, tilting his head to gaze into the fire. “We could try September. This lake isn’t too deep so it stays relatively warm through to the end of the month. It will still be swimmable. Maybe the second weekend?”

“That would be perfect.” Hux reached for the box of crackers, preparing another s’more before lastly reaching for the marshmallows. “How cold does it get at night by then?”

“Mmm, maybe about five degrees colder? And there won’t be nearly as many bugs.” 

“Well, the bugs aren’t too bad in front of the fire,” Hux commented once he had his chocolate centred perfectly. “Don’t know if I would be any more comfortable perching my ass on a log for-”

Ben couldn’t help it, cracking up, but with Hux already smirking, it had been his intention to get Ben laughing.

Calming down, wiping a finger under his eye, Ben looked back into the fire, just as wistful as before, but for other reasons. “Can I tell you ghost stories? I can tell you my favourites that my dad told me.”

If Ben wanted to scare him it wasn’t working. Ben pitched his voice into story-telling mode, combining wary, as though someone was listening to him, but also speaking in a low tone that rumbled over certain words. If it had been anyone else he might’ve gotten scared but Hux found himself mesmerised, imagining the low tone in a different context. Hux forgot about the food, having enough time to finish eating his one s’more and ignoring the rest. 

“You don’t look scared,” Ben concluded after his first story, smiling despite his clear failure.

Hux shrugged, grazing his bottom lip with his teeth, trying not to smirk. “I fear the only thing that scares me is the threat of Brendol being half-naked. Once was all I needed. Horrific.”

It might’ve been a laugh or a shudder that shook Ben’s shoulders. “The less you say the better. I don’t need that image coming to mind.”

“No,” Hux agreed, smiling faintly. He tilted his chin up after noticing only four marshmallows remained in the bag. Stomach happily filled with sweets he ignored them, his gaze first shifting to the fire, then the trees on the opposite side of the pit. It was easy to imagine spirits lingering around the trees, nature and man contending for the same forest, but somehow having found a way to live in harmony. Yet as his gaze drifted higher, into the leaves and the dark sky above, Hux’s breath caught. “That’s – there is something I can do!”

“What’s that?” Ben plucked two of the marshmallows out, eating one without the rest of the accoutrements. 

“Take your shoes off, we’re going to step into the lake. We’re not swimming but I need to see something.” Hux was undoing his laces but Ben shoehorned his way out of his shoes, toes holding the heels of runners in place until he was barefoot.

The fire didn’t entirely light the way but Hux wasn’t about to grab the flashlight. He didn’t want too much light. Fortunately he didn’t stumble over anything, but he did walk more carefully by the time his toes hit the rocks. Edging down into the water, walking out and motioning back for Ben, he waded in up past his knees until he stopped. “This should be good.”

The water felt wonderful against his legs after the heat of the fire, goosebumps travelling up his thighs. The lake was quiet, distant insects making only the faintest of noises. The water stirred around Ben’s legs when he moved until he stood beside him. “For what?”

“This is the closest thing to a ghost story I can tell you.” Hux looked up, only realising Ben looked up when he saw the movement out of the corner of his eye. The sky didn’t look that different from his trip to Ontario, only a little more south and west, but with ease he could trace the familiar points his great-uncle taught him. “I hope this is something that your dad never taught you.”

“He never did,” Ben admitted, expression slack as he continued to look up and all around. The treetops limited their view to an extent but what they could see was nothing short of immense. The suburbs weren’t consumed by streetlights and bright signs quite the same way as the city but they didn’t see anything quite like this from their backyards, or even the local parks. The stars seemed to shift, moving minutely the longer they stared, the black of the sky blending like a painting, gradations of blues and violets. “Usually we spent our time looking up at the trees but it’s almost the same feeling. The trees so tall, dense until we force our way into their space. We are so small in comparison to everything else out there.”

“Yeah.” The milky way was visible, swirls of colour and light. He had to wonder what the Earth looked like at a similar distance, if their small blue planet looked like an ordinary star. “I’m not an expert with constellations but I do know a few of them, and the stories behind them as the western world likes to believe in them.” Ideally they could’ve sat down to watch the stars but the lake didn’t give them that opportunity, nor did he want to get his clothes wet. Instead he loosened his knees, confident with the sand and rocks underfoot, even and steady. “The ghosts in the sky.”

He went through the stories as best he could remember, the swan and the eagle, the scorpion and the harp. He didn’t hold much belief in the myths to hold any importance in the modern-day world. They were amusing in some ways, and relevant when he compared them to the constellations. Yet for once he could understand why Orpheus would go to the ends of the earth to bring back his one true love.

Hux dared to look back, just like Orpheus did, but in his own case, Ben didn’t disappear. Remarkably Ben had already been watching him, gaze softening when their eyes met. 

Trying to breathe normally, not daring to take a deep breath to steady the sudden fluttering in his stomach, Hux turned to face Ben. “If I do something wrong, would you let me apologize?”

Ben’s expression turned quizzical. “What do you have to apologize for?”

He couldn’t say it, he didn’t want to risk it. He hadn’t been able to address it before and even now he would likely find a way to sidestep the words he wanted to say. 

Fitting himself into Ben’s space he lifted his chin, gently pressing his lips to his best friend’s. 

His fingers shook when Ben’s hand came up to his face. He braced for a push away but when fingertips traced his cheekbone, thumb into the hollow of his cheek, he unconsciously parted his lips.

Held in place, pursuing the kiss, he tangled his fingers into Ben’s shirt. 

“You don’t have to make any apologies,” Ben reassured him, nuzzling into the cheek he wasn’t holding.

“I could have warmed you up before moving in to kiss you,” Hux reasoned, unsure which direction to lean his head into. 

“No, kissing is better.” The kiss upon his cheek was similarly chaste like the kiss he gave Ben but it still made goosebumps race up and down his legs and his knees wobble. 

“We need to get out of the lake,” Hux insisted, though he wasn’t sure how that would work when he didn’t want to let go of Ben. 

Ben murmured his agreement but they didn’t move to the shore. Ben nosed further along his cheek, lips reaching for his ear. “It’ll be a lot easier to kiss you when we’re seated.”

“Perfectly sound explanation.” He tightened his grip, perhaps to pull Ben back to their campsite, but all it resulted in was his knuckles squeezing into his waist. 

It took them several more minutes to get out of the lake but they didn’t complain about the lack of progress. They were making all the progress they wanted in the water.

In due time they did make their way back, tending to the fire and cleaning up between kisses and more touches. It might’ve taken them longer for the wandering hands and stolen kisses, made sweet by the remaining marshmallows and chocolate, but they hurried up in the process of cleaning themselves up for the night. They went to bed in their respective sleeping bags, trading lazy kisses and touches before drifting off, snuggled up close to one another.

They woke up more or less tangled like they had the previous morning before crawling out, soft murmurs and slow kisses gaining urgency. Lips smearing against one another, messy and wanting, like their hands slipping along shoulders and up shirts. Hips rolling up and down, the friction of shorts and thighs doing them in. 

Reluctant as they were to part it was for the best to clean up in the lake before breakfast. Cleaning became a swim and they more or less sat snug beside each other when it came to eating. 

“What time do you want to leave?” Hux asked, spooning food into his mouth, rocking his knee against Ben’s.

“I don’t want to leave any later than three,” Ben mentioned, scraping the last of his oatmeal from his bowl. “By the time we get closer to home, it’ll be rush hour, and with the construction around, it’ll make it even worse.”

“And with putting everything back in the truck, we would probably have to start that around… twot?” It took them less than an hour to set up their campsite but he could only imagine that putting the tent back into a form that would fit in its case would be challenging. 

“Around then, yeah.” Scooping the mouthful into his mouth, chewing and swallowing, Ben leaned into him, their temples almost pressed together. “That does give us several hours though, is there anything you want to do?”

Humming his consideration at the same time as another spoonful, he swallowed quickly. “Canoe? For a little bit. Not the whole lake, just… wherever we want to go. Maybe we can see the turtle again.”

“Should Millie be concerned that she’s being replaced by a turtle?”

Hux half-laughed. “Hardly.” With his spoon in his bowl he reached his fingers up to curl and tuck a strand of hair behind Ben’s ear, to lean in and kiss his temple. “And it’s a good thing that she already likes you.”

Turtles were long forgotten when they finally pulled out of the parking lot and crushes left behind with the campsite. 

Though perhaps they could claim that site in September. 

Ben’s arm was no longer propped on the open window, instead holding firmly to the wheel.

His other hand had a new place, his arm often stretched out so his fingers could graze over his shoulder, or skim through his hair. 

Crushes were unneeded when they were finally together.

**Author's Note:**

> Tilley hats are a brand in Canada, although the shape and design are probably available… everywhere. I just liked the idea of Hux somehow being gifted by one and deciding his hat is the perfect accessory for camping. Too bad Kylo takes a shining to it… (not too bad, Hux decides later)


End file.
